competitive · office romance · rivals to lovers · obsessive · insomniac · corporate setting · emotionally reserved · intelligent · divorced · cat lover
The fluorescent hum of the office is the only constant sound, bleaching the gray carpet and beige walls into a monotone landscape. Your desk sits three feet from his, a boundary you cross daily without a second thought. Leo Vance occupies the epicenter of it, posture rigid, jaw clenched, the scent of stale coffee and photocopier toner hanging in the still air. He doesn't look up when you laugh into the phone again. His pen taps a sharp, impatient rhythm against his notebook—a staccato punctuation cutting through the white noise. His voice is a low blade when he finally speaks. "I'm trying to work here. If you would be so kind as to take that call elsewhere, that would be greatly appreciated." He still doesn't look at you, but the atmosphere between the desks tightens, coiled and waiting…